Wilmington Hammerheads Edge Past Rochester Rhinos

ROCHESTER, NY July 21, 2014 – Toronto FC loanee Jordan Hamilton had the only goal as the Wilmington Hammerheads took a 1-0 victory against the Rochester Rhinos on Saturday night at Sahlen’s Stadium. The road win provided a welcome boost to the Hammerheads as they look to take advantage of the games in hand they hold on teams around them in the race for the USL PRO Playoffs.

Wilmington Hammerheads vs Rochester Rhinos

After a quiet first half the Rhinos came close to taking the lead in the 51st minute when a good combination by Donnie Smith and JC Banks put Jonathan Mendoza through on goal on the left side of the penalty area. Mendoza was able to get around Hammerheads goalkeeper Quillan Roberts, but the angle proved too acute as his finish went into the side netting.

Roberts, also a loanee from Toronto FC, was in excellent form throughout the contest and made his biggest save of the game in the 76th minute as he was forced to save at full stretch to his right an excellent shot by Smith that was bound for the left corner of the net.

The save proved even more crucial a minute later when Hamilton gave the Hammerheads the lead. Wilmington had found success trying to use its speed to get in behind the Rhinos’ defense, and Hamilton was able to split the Rhinos’ center backs and run in on goal. Rochester goalkeeper Luis Soffner was able to parry his first effort, but Hamilton was first to the rebound to turn it into the back of the net for his fifth goal of the season.

MONDAY

SACRAMENTO 1, CHARLOTTE 0: Tommy Stewart scored the only goal as Sacramento Republic FC took victory against the Charlotte Eagles at the Queens Sports Complex.

Stewart’s goal came in the 10th minute as he intercepted a pass that wrong-footed J.J. Greer and sent a low shot past Alec Kann. Charlotte tried to hit back before the break, and goalkeeper Jake Gleeson made a fine save to deny Jorge Herrera on a free kick in the 25th minute, but as the game wore on Republic FC gained more control, and saw out the victory.

THURSDAY

SACRAMENTO 0, ORLANDO 0: Honors ended even between Sacramento Republic FC and Orlando City at Bonney Field as both defenses held the upper hand in front of another sellout crowd.

Both sides had chances, as Sacramento’s Max Alvarez forced a good save from Miguel Gallardo in first-half stoppage time, and Orlando’s Adama Mbengue’s header was denied by Jake Gleeson shortly after the break.

Sacramento was reduced to 10 men with 11 minutes to go as Alvarez was sent off, but Republic FC still had a chance to grab the lead as Gilberto Dos Santos Souza created space for a low shot that was saved by Gallardo. Orlando almost grabbed all three points with a minute to go, only for Kevin Molino’s shot to be blocked by Ivan Mirkovic, which left both sides with a point.

PITTSBURGH 2, CHARLOTTE 0: Joseph Ngwenya had a pair of assists as the Pittsburgh Riverhounds took victory against a 10-man Charlotte Eagles side at Highmark Stadium.

The first half was an even affair with chances for both sides, but the game tilted in Pittsburgh’s favor just before halftime when Wells Thompson was sent off for his second yellow card. The Riverhounds pressed forward strongly after the break and finally got their reward in the 67th minute when Ngwenya’s cross from the right found Kevin Kerr, who cushioned a header back across goal and into the net.

Pittsburgh added a second in a similar fashion with eight minutes to go, with Jose Angulo the recipient of Ngwenya’s delivery to score his fifth goal of the season.

OKLAHOMA CITY 1, ARIZONA 1: Michael Thomas converted a penalty kick in second-half stoppage time to earn OKC Energy FC a point against Arizona United SC at Pribil Stadium.

Arizona took the lead in first-half stoppage time as Long Tan scored his first goal for the club when he capitalized on the rebound of a fierce shot by Matt Kassel. Energy FC pushed strongly for an equalizer, however, and earned a point after a foul in the penalty area during a corner that resulted in Thomas sending the goalkeeper the wrong way from the spot.

FRIDAY

HARRISBURG 0, WILMINGTON 0: Both teams came close to breaking the deadlock, but the Harrisburg City Islanders and Wilmington Hammerheads finished goalless at Skyline Sports Complex.

Harrisburg was the brighter of the two sides in the first half, and both Morgan Langley and Jimmy McLaughlin had chances to give their side the lead. Wilmington pushed forward more in the second half, but Harrisburg’s Antoine Hoppenot, on loan from the Philadelphia Union, came closest to a goal, only for Hammerheads goalkeeper Quillan Roberts to make a pair of good saves to earn his side a point.

SATURDAY

RICHMOND 4, CHARLESTON 0: Jason Yeisley and George Davis IV each had a goal and an assist as the Richmond Kickers maintained their outstanding run of home form against the Charleston Battery at City Stadium.

The Kickers struck twice in two minutes at the end of the first half as Conor Shanosky headed home a cross by Davis IV in the final minute of the half. Davis IV then added a second in first-half stoppage time to break the game open for the Kickers.

Yeisley made it three five minutes into the second half as he turned home a ball by Luke Vercollone, and then turned provider as he set up Matt Delicâte for his league-leading 13th goal of the season to wrap up all three points with just more than 20 minutes to play.

Both sides had chances in the first half, but it wasn’t until the second half that the game heated up properly. OKC came close to taking the lead in the 55th minute when David Leichty’s shot was parried away to safety by Galaxy II goalkeeper Cody Laurendi, but Mendiola broke the deadlock with 15 minutes to go as his low shot into the left corner of the net earned Los Dos all three points and returned them to third place in the USL PRO standings.

ARIZONA 3, ORANGE COUNTY 0: First-half goals by Matt Kassel and Long Tan led Arizona United SC to a second consecutive victory against the Orange County Blues as it moved back into playoff contention at the Peoria Sports Complex.

Kassel opened the scoring in the 22nd minute with an excellent left-footed shot that found the left corner of the net. Tan added a second five minutes later as he was able to beat charging Orange County goalkeeper Patrick McLain to a through-ball just outside the penalty area, and then finished into an open net.

Orange County tried to get back into the game but was denied by a solid defensive performance by United. Kadeem Dacres added a third for Arizona in second-half stoppage time as United moved within two points of the eighth and final playoff position.

CHARLOTTE 2, DAYTON 1: The Charlotte Eagles rallied to take victory against the Dayton Dutch Lions at DOC Stadium to boost their playoff hopes with eight games to play in the season.

Dayton took the lead when Columbus Crew loanee Matt Walker scored in the 22nd minute, but Charlotte got back on level terms 10 minutes before the halftime break as David Estrada scored off a rebound from close range. Estrada, a Seattle Sounders loanee, then set up Darren Toby five minutes into the second half to give Charlotte the lead, and the Eagles saw out the remainder of the contest to move one point behind eighth-placed Oklahoma City in the standings.

STANDINGS

Team

GP

W

L

T

GF

GA

Pts

Orlando City

18

14

0

4

35

11

46

Richmond Kickers

19

10

1

8

40

17

38

LA Galaxy II

19

10

5

4

37

25

34

Sacramento Republic FC

19

10

6

3

27

22

33

Rochester Rhinos

20

7

7

6

18

16

27

Wilmington Hammerheads FC

15

6

2

7

21

16

25

Orange County Blues FC

19

8

11

0

25

35

24

OKC Energy FC

18

6

8

4

22

25

22

Charlotte Eagles

20

6

11

3

21

27

21

Harrisburg City Islanders

17

5

7

5

22

24

20

Arizona United SC (-2)

19

6

9

4

20

32

20

Dayton Dutch Lions FC

20

5

13

2

22

42

17

Charleston Battery

17

4

8

5

16

21

17

Pittsburgh Riverhounds

19

4

10

5

20

31

17

RESULTS

Monday, July 14

Sacramento 1, Charlotte 0

Thursday, July 17

Pittsburgh 2, Charlotte 0

Oklahoma City 1, Arizona 1

Sacramento 0, Orlando 0

Friday, July 18

Harrisburg 0, Wilmington 0

Saturday, July 19

Charlotte 2, Dayton 1

Richmond 4, Charleston 0

Wilmington 1, Rochester 0

LA Galaxy II 1, Oklahoma City 0

Arizona 3, Orange County 0

SCHEDULE

Tuesday, July 22

Charleston vs. Richmond, 7:30 p.m. ET

Wednesday, July 23

Harrisburg vs. Oklahoma City, 7 p.m. ET

Friday, July 25

Real Salt Lake Reserves vs. Pittsburgh, 7 p.m. ET

Wilmington vs. Arizona, 7:30 p.m. ET

Saturday, July 26

Charlotte vs. Wilmington, 7 p.m. ET

Dayton vs. Oklahoma City, 7 p.m. ET

Richmond vs. Harrisburg, 7 p.m. ET

Charleston vs. Arizona, 7:30 p.m. ET

Orange County vs. LA Galaxy II, 10 p.m. ET

Sunday, July 27

Rochester vs. Orlando, 4:05 p.m. ET

Sacramento vs. Pittsburgh, 8:30 p.m. ET

USL PRO

USL PRO is the strongest U.S. men’s professional soccer league on and off the field below and in support of Major League Soccer (MLS). Focused on league stability and franchise performance longevity, USL PRO features 14 teams, including expansion teams in Los Angeles, Oklahoma City and Sacramento. Teams have already been announced for 2015 in Austin, Colorado Springs, Louisville, Saint Louis and Tulsa, with more additions expected soon. Through aggressive and deliberate growth in adding teams fully capable of meeting USL and US Soccer standards, USL PRO is building a robust, national professional soccer league in a format that promotes the benefits of regional league play. In 2013 USL PRO began a groundbreaking, multi-year partnership with MLS that features individual team affiliations, inter-league play, and the opportunity for MLS clubs to field a second team in USL PRO. In addition to league play, USL PRO teams compete in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup as well as various domestic and international exhibitions. USL PRO is the longest-standing pro league affiliate member of US Soccer.

About the author

Michael "Beach Mick" Hudson is the founder and Editor of Beach Carolina Magazine. Living along the coast of North Carolina, Mike has a passion for the beach and loves to bring news and events of the Carolinas to others around the world.

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